INTASC Standard 3

The teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners.

Specific Category of Standard 3

INSTASC.3.B K: The teacher knows about areas of exceptionality in learning- including learning disabilities, visual and perceptual difficulties, and special physical or mental challenges.

INSTASC3.C K: The teacher knows about the process of second language aquisition and about strategies to support the learnign of students whose first language is not English.

Understanding Sentence
The teacher understands how different approaches of learning can create instructional opportunities to help students that learn differently.

Artifacts

Reflect
Being aware of your students and their abilities on how they learn allows the teacher to be more aware of what kind of teaching approaches work best for them. If your class is full of English language learners the teachers strategies and approaches of teaching are going to be a lot different as if he or she was teaching English speakers. It is important that teachers are knowledgeable of different teaching strategies to support students whose first language is not English as well as students with learning disabilities. The targeted language artifact is an activity targeted for English language learners to be able to learn how to use contractions properly. This activity was done on a common difficult language feature which ELLs have trouble with. This activity helps Ells to practice and understand what contractions are and how they are used in the English language. It's important that as teachers we take these common difficult features like contractions and involve them in the classroom. The targeted allows the students to listen to, say, and write contractions helping Ells with their language development. By doing this activity, I feel as if I comprehend more about how to address English language areas that may be difficult for non native English speakers. It's important that what I think might be easy to understand and do might not be for someone is just learning the English language.

Not only have am I aware of how to teach Ells, but I have also done research on a brain development disorder called Autism. This is displayed on my second artifact, Autism project. The artifact is a table of content page which was part of an Autism portfolio that I did in class. This project allowed me to have the opportunity to research a disability of my choice. I learned about what autism is, different ways to teach students with autism, resources that will useful for teachers, parents, and students who are dealing with an individual who is autistic, and local and national organizations that helps with assist people with autism. I gathered from my research that Autism is the most common of the Pervasive Developmental Disorders, affecting an estimated 1 in 150 births, which means that as many as 1.5 million Americans are believed to have some form of autism. Different resources like
www.teachingchildrenwithautism.com give teachers educational tips on how to help children with autism using their verbal, reading, and cognitive skills. This website also informs teachers on how to customize the educational program to fit the child's needs. Finding out all this information has allowed me to be more informed about this disability that is rising in our country as well as know of ways and techniques to help teach students that are dealing with this autism.

Project
Understanding the areas of difficulty that Ells have trouble with learning from the English language and about ways to help autistic children learn has allowed me to have a better understanding and respect for others around me. I will be aware of the students who walk into my classroom and assist them in any way possible to fit their learning needs. I want my students to walk in the classroom where everyone is respected no matter where they come from or what they look like. Students should feel comfortable and accepted in the classroom and I hope to accomplish this by introducing different cultures and their language to the students, so they can be aware of how difficult it might be to go to another country and try to learn their language. I will continue to research about different disabilities to learn how to cope and assist their learning needs in the classroom, so they too can feel comfortable and safe in the classroom. Encouraging students to be accepting of others and understand that every single person in this classroom is different is what makes us special and unique will help our classroom feel united and want to help each other out